Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COOLING SYSTEM FOR DOUBLE SIDED DISPLAY ASSEMBLY
Inventor(s): Marcos Diaz
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to cooling
systems for
electronic displays.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Electronic displays are sometimes used in outdoor environments or other
areas where the surrounding temperatures may be high or there may be other
sources
of heat such as solar loading causing the temperatures within the display to
rise.
However, some portions of the display can be difficult to cool as simply
ingesting
ambient air into some portions of the display can introduce dust and
contaminates into
sensitive portions of the display, which can lead to premature failures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT
[0004] Exemplary embodiments may comprise multiple separate flow paths for a
fluid,
such as air, through an electronic display housing. At least one path may be a
closed
loop and several other paths may provide open loops. The closed loop path
preferably circulates through a sealed electronics compartment as well as pass
between the electronic display(s) and a front transparent panel. ,A first open
loop of
ambient air may pass behind the first electronic display while a second path
of
ambient air may pass behind the second electronic display. In some embodiments
the open loop air also removes heat from a thermal plate having electronic
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components and in some embodiments the open loop air also removes heat from an
LED backlight (or LED display). The fans can be positioned so as to precisely
control
the amount of fluid travelling through each path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of the
present
invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the
drawings and
exemplary embodiments, wherein like reference numerals across the several
views
refer to identical or equivalent features, and wherein:
[0006] FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of
the double sided display assembly, as well as the location for section lines A-
A, B-B,
and C-C.
[0007] FIGURE 2 is a side section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line A-A.
[0008] FIGURE 3 is a front section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line B-B.
[0009] FIGURE 4 is a top section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line C-C and indicating the location for Detail A.
[0010] FIGURE 5 is a detailed section view of Detail A.
[0011] FIGURE 6 is a partial exploded view of the embodiment shown in Figure
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)
[0012] The invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are
shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should
not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.
Rather,
these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and
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complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the art. In
the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be
exaggerated
for clarity.
[0013] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular
embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used
herein,
the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural
forms as well,
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the
terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification,
specify the
presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/ or
components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups
thereof.
[0014] Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to
illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments (and
intermediate structures) of the invention. As such, variations from the shapes
of the
illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or
tolerances,
are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not be construed
as
limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to
include
deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.
[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific
terms)
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary
skill
in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that
terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as
having a
meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant
art and will
not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so
defined
herein.
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[0016] FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of
the double sided display assembly, as well as the location for section lines A-
A, B-B,
and C-C. Generally speaking, an exemplary embodiment includes two displays 30
and 31 positioned back to back and placed within a housing 25. An inlet
aperture 50
accepts a flow of ambient air 60 into and through the housing 25. The ambient
air 60
is preferably exhausted out of the housing 25 through the exhaust aperture 55.
A
closed loop flow of circulating gas 70 travels within the housing 25 as well,
but
preferably does not mix with the flow of ambient air 60 in any substantial
manner.
[0017] As used herein, the term ambient air 60 simply refers to common
atmospheric
air that would provide the surrounding environment for the assembly. This
ambient
air 60 is known to contain a mixture of different types of gaseous elements,
as well
as dust, dirt, pollen, water vapor, and other particulate. Also as used
herein, the term
circulating gas 70 can refer to any gaseous matter, which might be a mixture
of
different types of gases or could be a pure gaseous matter. Preferably, the
circulating
gas 70 does not contain substantial amounts of dust, dirt, pollen, or other
types of
particulate.
[0018] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be configured for
mounting to a vehicle, preferably to the roof. The housing 25 may be sized and
configured for fitting atop a vehicle roof. Further, the housing 25 may be
sized and
adapted to minimize aerodynamic drag. The housing 25 may comprise a pair of
feet
26 for mounting the housing 25 to the vehicle. The feet 26 may be sized and
configured to be secured to a vehicle's roof, or to be secured to internal
supports
placed on or within the vehicle. In such embodiments, the housing 25 is
preferably
thin and comprises rounded corners and other features to minimize aerodynamic
drag. The housing 25 may comprise a variety of stiffening members to provide
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structural rigidity and strength to accommodate the forces caused by a moving
vehicle. Likewise, the various components of the display assembly may be
configured
or comprised of a sufficiently rigid material so as to accommodate the forces
caused
by a moving vehicle. Furthermore, the housing and various components of the
display
assembly may be configured to withstand the forces, vibrations, and other
rigors of
being mounted to a vehicle. For example, but not to serve as a limitation, the
feet 26
and other components of the display assembly may comprise rubber pads or other
vibration and shock absorption devices.
[0019] As indicated in the figure, section line A-A is positioned horizontally
down the
center of the assembly and cuts through the assembly vertically. Section line
B-B is
oriented vertically and cuts through the assembly horizontally. Finally,
section line C-
C is oriented horizontally and cuts through the assembly horizontally as well.
The
section line arrows in figure 1 indicate the direction of hypothetical cut to
obtain the
section view.
[0020] FIGURE 2 is a side section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line A-A. The ambient air 60 may enter the housing 25
through the
inlet aperture 50, where it may then be directed into an entrance plenum, and
pass
through one of a plurality of entrance apertures 200 which connect with the
open loop
channels (described further below). The ambient air 60 is preferably pulled by
one or
more fans 100, but the fans 100 could also be positioned to push the ambient
air 60,
or several fans could be used for a combination of push/pull. In this
particular
embodiment, the fan 100 is located near an exit plenum, where the ambient air
60 is
collected from the open loop channels by travelling through one of a plurality
of exit
aperture 201, collected within the exit plenum, and directed out of the
housing 25
through the exhaust aperture 55.
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[0021] As will be described further below, the entrance apertures 200 and exit
apertures 201 are in gaseous communication with a first open loop channel
running
behind the electronic display 31. There is preferably another set of entrance
apertures and exit apertures on the opposite side of the assembly (not shown
in this
view), which communicate with a second open loop channel running behind the
electronic display 30. The apertures 200 and 201 are preferably distributed
across
the width of the electronic display 30/31 in a substantially equidistant
manner from
one another. The apertures 200/201 allow the flow of ambient air 60 to pass
through
the housing 25 and the open loop channels without substantially mixing with
the
circulating gas 70 or entering the sealed electronics compartment 125.
[0022] A plurality of electronic components 110 are preferably placed within a
sealed
electronics compartment 125 which forms a part of the closed loop for the
circulating
gas 70. The electronic components 110 may comprise one or more of the
following:
power modules, video player, electronic data storage, microprocessor,
satellite/wireless receiver/transmitter, and timing and control board. At
least some of
the electronic components 110 may be in electrical connection with the
displays 30
and 31.
[0023] One or more fans 90 may force the closed loop of circulating gas 70
over the
electronic components 110. While shown with two fans 90, this is not required.
Additionally, while shown pushing the circulating gas 70 over the electronic
components 110, this is not required as the fans 90 could also be positioned
to pull
the circulating gas 70, or several fans 90 could be used in a combination
push/pull of
the circulating gas 70.
[0024] FIGURE 3 is a front section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line B-B. Here, the closed loop of circulating gas 70 can be
clearly
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shown. As mentioned above, the circulating gas 70 preferably travels over the
electronic components 110 within the sealed electronics compartment 125 and
then
splits to wrap around each of the displays 30 and 31. Regarding the first
display 30,
a transparent panel 35 is preferably placed in front of the display 30 to
define a closed
loop channel between the display 30 and the transparent panel 35 for accepting
circulating gas 70. Once the circulating gas 70 has travelled across the
display 30, it
is directed back in to the sealed electronics compartment 125 to begin the
closed loop
again.
[0025] Similarly, regarding the second display 31, a transparent panel 36 is
preferably
placed in front of the display 31 to define a closed loop channel between the
display
31 and the transparent panel 36 for accepting circulating gas 70. Once the
circulating
gas 70 has travelled across the display 31, it is directed back in to the
sealed
electronics compartment 1 25 to begin the closed loop again.
[0026] As shown, the flow of ambient air 60 is preferably split into at least
two
channels, with one open loop channel travelling behind each display. Regarding
display 30, a path of ambient air 60 preferably travels between the rear
surface of the
display 30 and a thermal wall 126 of the sealed electronics compartment 125.
Although not required, when using a direct LED backlit LCD as the display 30,
the
ambient air 60 preferably travels between the rear surface of the LED
backlight 40
and the thermal wall 126. As shown above, a plurality of electronic components
110
are preferably attached to (or near) one or both thermal walls 126 and 127. In
this
way, heat from the electronic components 110 may be transferred (preferably
through
conduction but some convection and radiation may occur as well) to the walls
126
and 127 and removed by the flow of ambient air 60.
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[0027] Similarly regarding display 31, a path of ambient air 60 preferably
travels
between the rear surface of the display 31 and a thermal wall 127 of the
sealed
electronics compartment 125. Although not required, when using a direct LED
backlit
LCD as the display 31, the ambient air 60 preferably travels between the rear
surface
of the LED backlight 41 and the thermal wall 127. It should be expressly noted
that
although a direct LED backlit LCD is shown in these embodiments, this type of
display
and its associated backlight is not necessary for every embodiment. The
displays 30
and 31 could be any one of the following: plasma, OLED, LCD (direct lit or
edge lit),
LED, and any type of electroluminescent polymer display.
[0028] FIGURE 4 is a top section view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,
taken
along the section line C-C and indicating the location for Detail A. In this
figure, the
two channels for ambient air 60 behind each of the displays 30 and 31 can be
seen.
Again, preferably the two paths of ambient air 60 can remove heat from the
electronic
displays 30 and 31 as well as the electronics 110 (through the thermal walls
126 and
127).
[0029] FIGURE 5 is a detailed section view of Detail A. Once the ambient air
60 has
travelled through each of the open loop channels, it can be gathered by the
exit
plenum and forced out of the display housing 25 by the fan 100.
[0030] FIGURE 6 is a partial exploded view of the embodiment shown in Figure
1.
This shows the stacking of the elements for one side of the assembly, i.e. the
components surrounding electronic display 31. The ambient air 60 is preferably
directed through the entrance apertures 200 so that it may pass between the
thermal
plate 127 and the rear of the electronic display 31 (in this embodiment, the
rear
surface of the LED backlight 41). Once passing through the open loop channel,
the
ambient air 60 is preferably directed out of an exit aperture 201 so that it
can be
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collected in the exit plenum and exhausted out of the display housing. The
circulating
gas 70 generally encircles the open loop channel(s) having the ambient air 60.
In
other words, the open loop ambient air 60 passes through the center of the
closed
loop of circulating gas 70.
[0031] As noted above, the circulating gas 70 preferably passes over
electronic
components 110, exits the sealed electronics compartment 125, travels between
the
front transparent plate 36 and the front of the electronic display 31,
eventually
returning to the sealed electronics compartment 125. Again it should be noted
that
only one half of the embodiment is shown in this partial exploded view.
Generally,
there would be a second closed loop of circulating gas 70 travelling around
the
opposing display 30 and a second open loop channel for ambient air 60 passing
behind the display 30, as shown and described above.
[0032] It should also be noted that the variety of open and closed cooling
loops that
are shown in the figures may be shown in a horizontal or vertical arrangement
but it
is clearly contemplated that this can be reversed or changed depending on the
particular embodiment. Thus, the closed loop may run horizontally or
vertically and in
a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Further, the open loop may also be
horizontal or vertical and can run left to right, right to left, and top to
bottom, or bottom
to top.
[0033] Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention,
those
skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be
made to
affect the described invention and still be within the scope of the claimed
invention.
Additionally, many of the elements indicated above may be altered or replaced
by
different elements which will provide the same result and fall within the
spirit of the
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claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only
as indicated
by the scope of the claims.
